Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Creating a Cowboy costume with thrift store finds...

My Nephew turned 4 earlier this month, they were planning a cowboy themed party for him, where we all had to dress up in cowboy attire. I picked up these items at my favorite thrift store in town for my husbands cowboy costume.

The challenge to turn this women's suede dress into some cowboy chaps was on....

First I cut the dress down the middle and then at the waist line. There was about a 2 " facing on the underside of the buttons and button holes, so I just took the buttons off and cut around the button holes on the facing (the old facings will now become the fringe on the chaps).

Then I started to cut 1/4" strips on the old facing for the fringe and create a style line on the hem. I also cut off the arms of the top in case I needed the extra fabric (you could also use the top for a women's or child's cowboy vest).

I picked up a cowboy hat at our local costume store and a cap gun to complete the outfit (which fit perfectly inside my Trader Joe's box cutter holster. :) What you don't see is the back which is just a strip of fabric that goes above the knee... the bottoms of the chaps are supposed to be loose and the belt loops are mainly what keeps the chaps on.

I decided that I didn't care for the original welt pockets that were on the waistline, so I cut off the buttons (to avoid unnecessary bulk) and instead sewed on a yoke with yellow bias tape for embellishments.

I also added a fun little button detail on the side, since real chaps have some sort of embellishment on the sides. Then I attached the old suede belt to the front, and belt loops so that they would stay on.

Howdy Partner!

If looks could kill...

There's a Snake in my boot! Perfect timing for the garter snake to crash the party! The kids loved it! Mustaches were also very popular at the party... both men and women wore them :)